1. Field of the Invention
A safety rail assembly composed provided on a working platform of a transport carrier for automobiles. The safety rail assembly forms a continuous fence to help mitigate or otherwise reduce occupational injuries resulting from falls from the deck platform.
2. Description of the Related Art
Occupational injuries resulting from falls are a known hazard on transport carriers for automobiles, many such falls resulting in a disabling injury or death to the driver and/or operator. Fall deaths in industry are approximately 10% of the total up to 10 ft fall heights. Approximately 14% of all deaths are from falls in industry.
Accordingly, there exists a need for a safety rail assembly for mitigating or otherwise reducing the number of deaths and injuries resulting from driver and/or operator falls from the upper or raised deck of the carrier. Particularly, the provision of a safety rail will protect the user, i.e., the driver and/or operator, who has a natural inclination to steady themselves to maintain their balance under a variety of operating conditions. This workplace on the upper or raised deck(s) is covered under the 29 C.F.R. §1910.23(c) requirement for edge fall protection with a trigger height of four feet or more to control the fall hazard. Application of this Federal Rule can be found under §1910.132 for fall arrest, §1917 for marine terminals or §5(a)(1) under the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Act requiring employers to furnish a place of employment free from recognized hazards that cause or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm to employees and requires any such employer to comply with occupational safety standards promulgated under the OSHA Act.